Monday, January 6, 2014

The Memorable Movie Images of 2013

Since it proved to be pretty popular last year, I again compiled what I felt were the defining images of 2013 in movies. These are the screengrabs that represent the best (and or in some cases the worst) the year in film had to offer. I once again attempted to avoid picking the obvious promotional shots and instead opted for either an image that best represents or encapsulates the movie, a memorable moment, or just simply what hit me as the most visually striking image. Mainly though, I just went with my gut in these selections. Unfortunately, since these screenshots came from all over the net, it's impossible to properly cite all the sources. And believe me, there were a lot. There's also a few TV shots thrown in there since few would argue that medium had a year unlike any before.

The most fun is gathering the images for movies I haven't seen yet since it tends to get me pumped up to check those out quicker than I otherwise would. I'm still way behind in playing catch-up with 2013, I've seen much more than I've reviewed and am planning a few posts where I rectify that and fill you in on those viewings. There are also two BIG reviews coming for a couple of current releases making waves and generating headlines as we head toward the announcement of the Academy Award nominations on January 16. While it's a shame that hardly any movies worth seeing come out until the last few months of the year, when I actually start dragging myself to the theater and the three and a half and four-star reviews start piling up, it's a sign all the waiting was worth it.

I've tried to make it a point this past year to only check out things I'm interested in since I'm not being paid like professional critics to see garbage, making it a waste of time that could be spent watching really worthwhile films. As a result, I'm not ingesting as many releases as before, causing me to not only question the viability of the term "critic,"but consider abandoning or replacing the star rating system, which I've grown to despise. Still, it's impossible to have the good stuff without at least a little trash balancing it out.

Again, these images aren't labeled but are (mostly) in order according to U.S. release date, which got tricky this year due to all the staggered or concurrent theatrical and digital releases, as well as the emergence of Video-on-Demand as viable distribution platform. Anyone in need of clues can consult this helpful list. Happy New Year!